Chicken Soup

There is something so satisfying about chicken soup. Warm, hearty, chockfull of vegetables, it just screams comfort and health. For the base of this soup I roasted a chicken on our new rotisserie toaster oven. I stripped the chicken and skin from the bones and simmered the bones in water to create a rich flavorful stock. This step will take your soup from good to amazing.

Stock

Roast one whole chicken until cooked.(I stuffed the skin with salt, pepper, garlic, and onion powder). Remove all the skin and meat from the bird. The skin was perfectly crunchy and delicious so I just ate it. But you can use it in your stock if you aren’t as addicted to crispy skin and I am. Place bones, fat, and skin in a large pot cover with water, I had about I gallon of water. Add 3 bay leaves and a pinch of saffron. Cook covered on low for at least 12 hours. Cool and strain. If you pour it in plastic containers then you can freeze it forever, or use it within 2 weeks in the fridge.

Chicken Soup

~one gallon chicken stock

1 whole chicken cut up and deboned

4 carrots diced

3 stalks of celery diced

2 red bell peppers diced

2 yellow onions diced

3 cloves of garlic minced

1 head of kale torn from stems

1 tbsp kosher of salt

2 tbsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp cumin

¼ tsp saffron

¼ tsp ground thyme (or 1tsp of regular thyme)

½ tsp oregano

3 eggs tempered

Sautee onions and carrots in olive oil on medium high heat for 5 minutes. Add remaining vegetables except kale and sauté for 3 minutes. Add seasoning and chicken. Stir and cook for 3 minutes.

Add stock and turn down heat to low. Cover and cook for 1.5 hours. Add kale. Whip your eggs in a separate bowl and slowly pour hot stock over the eggs while beating them. This is called tempering eggs.

It adds heft to your stock in a totally paleo way! If you just pour the eggs in your soup without tempering you will get scrambled eggs instead. While tasty, this is not something you want in your soup. Cook the soup on low for another half hour and then serve. This makes an enormous batch of soup.

You can freeze a bunch of it or serve it for a dinner party. It’s got enough heat from the red pepper and plenty of hearty goodness from the homemade stock to cure whatever ails you.